DOVER — Sunday, a tsunami took place in Dover at the Jenny Thompson Pool. Although water was involved in this occurrence, there was no destruction.

This tsunami was an overwhelming show of support by hundreds of people for six-year-old Soren Cooper, a first grader at Berwick Academy who was recently diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma, an aggressive form of blood cancer.

The son of UNH professor Vaughan Cooper and his wife Erika, an aquatics instructor at the university, Soren is an avid swimmer.

Jenny Priester of Rollinsford and Nicole Benson of Newmarket, both fellow swimmers of the Great Bay Masters Club heard of the Coopers situation and immediately began organizing an event for them

“We have over 130 people registered here at noon,” said Priester from the pool deck at Jenny Thompson.

“We have a goal for fundraising by the participants of swimming 1,000,000 meters. The monies raised will be given for associated expenses to the Cooper family.”

The Great Bay Masters Club alone has pledged to swim 100,000 meters and they are joined by swim teams from the region, the Seacoast Swim Association of Dover, the Portsmouth Swim Association, the Cannonball club also from Portsmouth, Oyster River Youth Association, the Exeter swim team and others.

Twenty one members of the University of New Hampshire women’s swimming and diving team participated this day, clocking 57,000 meters.

“Swimmers are a tight knit community,” explained Kathryn Violette, spokesperson for the team. We do community outreach and this is our first of the year. It touches our hearts, especially since Erika is a member of the UNH swim family.”

Swimmers of all ages took part with 81-year-old Masters swimmer Dick Arnold of Dover contributing laps.

Fifteen-year-old Dover High sophomore Sarah Wydra was one of those swimmers constantly filling the six lane pool all afternoon.

“I feel strongly for the family and know that anything we in the swimming community can do will be appreciated,” said Wydra, who has a relative facing cancer.

Cassidy Black, a four year member of Dover High’s state championship teams had a special connection with Soren.

At SSA swimmers in the older groups step down and help the younger ones and she had occasion previously to assist Soren in the sport.

“I am so happy to help by swimming today,” she said. “This is a feel good kind of day that we can do something to help out.”

Ten year old Bella Britton said, “this is a great cause, I am glad to be able to help by taking part.”

Not all the participants were local, however.

David Graham, of the Greenwood Masters club of Gardner, Mass., was swimming with club member Laura Deloney.

“The swim community is very close,” said Graham, who is the Aquatics Director at Mt. Wachusett Community College.

“We Greenwood Masters know several people connected with Great Bay and felt in our hearts that we had to do something. Not only are Laura and I here today, but our members back home are swimming at their local pools, taking a picture of themselves with a note as to how many meters they swam and sending it along with a few words of encouragement. Our club has done more than 130,000 meters for Soren,” he reported.

Gary and Deb DeColfmacker attended the event and came with a pledge.

“We lost our daughter Megan to cancer in 1999,” said the former Dover Police Captain, and the Dover Police Charities has a special fund for things like this.

“We are participating in this by contributing $1500 in memory of our daughter Megan.”

Soren has gone through three rounds of chemotherapy and on Sunday was a happy gap-toothed six year old as he posed for photographs with his mother and three-year-old brother Harlen.

Both Erika and Vaughan Cooper used the same word when describing their feelings about the event. “Overwhelming,” they said, while receiving hugs from well wishers.

“This is one of the greatest days of my life,” said the unassuming professor, “I had a sense this might be big, but not like this.”